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http://live.prokhorenko.us
Oct 7 2010

Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: Envato

I think it’s interesting that we started with absolutely zero business experience. Three of us were designers, and my big brother was a physicist. This was good because we weren’t risk-averse, we didn’t really know just how much work we were in for, and sometimes we did things that someone with more experience simply might not have thought of doing. On the other hand it wasn’t so good when it came to building strong foundations for the company. Consequently over the course of Envato’s life, we’ve spent a considerable amount of time going back and laying better foundations for things which we simply didn’t know about. If we ever start another company in the future, we’ll know all about how to set it up right to begin with, but on the other hand I’m sure we’ll be a lot more wary of risk.

Such down to grounds idea, such a late time and such a success. Thumbs up!

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Jun 17 2010

Review of the Rework

I just finished reading Rework http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307463745/?tag=iwhite-20 by two co-founders of so-popular-nowadays 37signals company.

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Well, the book had its own auditory before it even appeared.  That's a crowd of news.yc.  Quite a crowd, I should say, so it would be stupid not to monetize (sorry, not to make money :) from them.  And that what they did.

I don't feel like discuss the ideas of the book.  But "forget everything what they taught you and do the opposite" wasn't the main idea (as considered by some reviewers).  Authors just restated the same ideas they were idolizing before and put them all together.

More the strategy book, rather than a guide.  However, the guide is still coming.  (I guess.)

Few notes: 
  1. Starting a business on the side while keeping your day job can provide all the cash flow you need.
  2. You might learn what not to do again, but how valuable is that?  You still don't know what you do next.
  3. Working more doesn't mean you care more or get more done.  It just means you work more.
  4. A business without a path to profit isn't a business, it's a hobby.
  5. And what really matters is how to actually get customers and make money.
  6. Do everything you can to remove layers of abstraction.

It's a good book.  Go for it, if you hadn't yet.
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Jan 20 2010

Unlearn Your MBA (by DHH)

..."Focus on today and not tomorrow". I smell maximalism here, but who said that a little bit of maximalism can't be healthy? Nice thing to listen to, anyways.

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About Olexandr Prokhorenko

My name is Olexandr Prokhorenko. I am passionate about building products that users *love*.

My LinkedIn profile is www.linkedin.com/in/white.


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